Manatee County Tax Collector unveils “Superheroes for Life” mural at the DeSoto office (Published 08-15-2019)
(Shown above: The Manatee County Tax Collector's Office
"Superheroes For Life" mural now on display at the DeSoto office,
819 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton, FL 34205)
Mural unveiling video
(Shown above: Manatee County Tax Collector Ken
Burton and his staff celebrate the "Superheroes for
Life" mural unveiling at the DeSoto office)
Bradenton, FL - Hon. Ken Burton Jr., unveiled a "Superheroes for Life" mural at the Manatee County Tax Collector's DeSoto Office, 819 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton, FL, on Friday, August 9th. The mural celebrates the thousands of lives that have been saved and impacted by receiving the Gift of Life; honors all organ and tissue donors whose legacies live on in the lives of recipients; and calls attention to the more than 113,000 patients still awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant. Currently there are over 5,000 Floridians on the national organ transplant waiting list.
"One individual's decision to become an organ and/or tissue donor, enables them to unleash their inner 'superhero' by their potential ability to save 8 lives through organ donation and impact more than 70 others with the gifts of tissue," said Tax Collector Ken Burton, Jr. "Last year alone my staff registered more than 35,000 Manatee County customers as lifesaving organ, tissue and eye donors during driver license transactions among our five office locations. This mural is dedicated to both those who have and those who will register themselves as an organ and tissue donor – a true superhero."
The Manatee County Tax Collector's Office has been actively committed to promoting the Donate Life message to its employees and customers alike since 2012. Since then, the office has seen an annual countywide increase of approximately 11% in customers saying 'Yes!' to joining Florida's donor registry. These efforts have resulted in a 58% donor registration rate among driver license customers – far exceeding Florida's statewide 49% donor registration rate for 2018. This is the second mural for the office; the first one was provided to the Driver License Office in April.
This mural was created in partnership with LifeLink® of Florida, the local federally designated non-profit organ recovery organization that serves the communities of 15 counties in west and southwest Florida – including Manatee County. LifeLink of Florida is also a member program of Donate Life Florida, a statewide organization comprised by an alliance of Florida's organ, tissue and eye recovery programs that works to educate Floridians on their ability to be a "superhero" for others by joining the donor registry online at www.DonateLifeFlorida.org or during a driver license transaction at any Manatee County Tax Collector's Office location. Donate Life Florida also is responsible for administering the state's organ, tissue and eye donor registry.
For more information on LifeLink of Florida please visit www.LifeLinkFoundation.org or contact the Public Affairs Department at (800)262-5775. Additional information about Donate Life Florida and/or Florida's donor registry is available at www.DonateLifeFlorida.org.
###
The mission of the Manatee County Tax Collector's Office is to perform our duties with integrity and respect, focusing on innovation and serving with excellence.
Manatee County Tax Collector is a 2011 Governor's Sterling Award Recipient
More news